noryo yuka

Kyoto is surrounded by mountains making the heat and humidity hard to escape during the summer.

One thing you will see from May to September are eateries setting up large wooden platforms.

These are called "noryo yuka" or "kawadoko" depending on the area the platform is set up in.

Apparently it is called "noryo yuka" if the platform is set up facing the Kamo River and "kawadoko" if the platform is set up in the Kibune area of Kyoto.

We've had experiencing the Kyoto yuka (it is also called yuka for short) on our bucket list for awhile now, and finally got to cross it off over the weekend.

Since we didn't have reservations we walked along the Ponto-cho area of Kyoto and looked at various menus and prices for their yuka.

We found a reasonably priced lunch at Ajigasane. Apparently this is run by Tenkkaippin, a large chain that is known for their ramen. Ajigasane serves kaiseki style Chinese meals.

Because there is a little stream flowing under the noryo yuka, it was very cool, almost to the point of feeling cold.

Lunch was their kaiseki bento...they had two to choose from. We had wanted to try one of each but were told that for two people you had to choose only one type of bento...boo!

So, we went with the cheaper of the two bentos...about 2900 yen plus tax.

The bento included...fried satoimo, spring roll, ginger pork tofu, salad, sashimi, sweet sour fish, assorted appetizers.

The food was delicious and really filling.

Dessert was a hard steamed castella and green tea mousse with gritty green tea that wasn't mixed well...meh!

After lunch we walked along the Kamo River.

You can see all the eateries that have their yuka set up and you will realize how high up you actually are. In Kyoto, even Starbucks has one.

Overall, we would choose another place to have lunch or dinner, but were happy to experience this and thankful that the weather was cooperative.

If ever you are visiting Kyoto during May through September, this is something I would recommend experiencing.

Ajigasane
141-4 Wakamatsu
Nakagyo, Kyoto
Phone: 075.256.1777